It all began in 1984, under a tin-roofed food stand on the first-base line of the old Durham Athletic Park. It was just a burrito stand at the time, susceptible to foul balls. And the sound of a foul ball hitting that tin roof would sometimes catch original-owner Phil Campbell off guard. On one of those occasions it sent a customer’s burrito flying, which caused his wife to remark, “If we open a restaurant, we have to call it the Flying Burrito.”

He did open one two years later in Chapel Hill and the name stuck.

The old original Flying Burrito was where you could find professors, students, the Archbishop of Canterbury, nurses and plumbers debating, laughing and eating. It was the kind of place that provokes people to argue about who was the first “real” customer. It was the kind of place where you could get great food made with fresh ingredients at a cheap price.

Today, Jim Duignan and Trevor Colvin own the Flying Burrito. They’ve renovated the restaurant, kept all of Phil’s old recipes; altered a few, added a tapas menu and a couple new items. But it’s still the same original Flying Burrito with a great mix of people eating great food at a cheap price.

If you have fond memories of the old Flying Burrito we invite to come in and make new ones. If you never had the opportunity, we would love to have you come and eat at the new, original Flying Burrito. Like the sign says on the old entrance, “Same name, but the food and entrance are just a few steps further.”